In order to maintain high quality processing of a photosensitive material in photographic processor, it is important the photosensitive material be maintained in each of the processing solutions it must pass for a predetermined amount of time. It is highly desirable to reduce the amount of time the photosensitive material is present in the processing solutions so as to improve the productivity of the processing apparatus. However, if the photosensitive material is not properly processed, for example washed, the long term stability of the material will be substantially affected. Reducing the time becomes even more difficult in thin tank processors such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,311,235; 5,309,191; 5,339,131; 5,387,499; 5,353,088; and 5,387,499, 5,420,658; 5,381,203 due to the reduced amount of processing solution that is available.
The present invention provides an improved processor wherein the amount of time required for the photosensitive material in the processing solution is reduced, with out adversely affecting the quality of the processing, and without affecting the photosensitive material.